DRCongo Video

My time in the DRC cannot be summed up in words, or in a video, but I pray that you will be touched by the pictures and words you see.





Pain that is shared is no longer paralyzing but mobilizing, when understand as a way to liberation. When we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains, but that we can mobilize them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope.
- Henri Nouwen

Coming home...

I am currently in Kigali, Rwanda, and will leave Africa in 8 hours. I have a pretty long few days of travel, but it's all worth it. I have to admit, the first thing I am going to do when I get home is eat an In-N-Out Burger -- if you don't know it, you really should.

I will continue to update this blog over the next few weeks as I record some stories and elaborate on aspects of my trip here in the DRC. Coming up for sure: trip to see the gorillas and more on my close friends in the DRC.

Thank you again for blessing me with your friendship and your prayers throughout this time. I have another year left at Wheaton, but stay tuned as I continue to process and see where God takes me in the future.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
Peace to you this day,

Lisa

South Africa!

A quick health update: I have fully recovered from my sicknesses and am taking nightly runs to get ready for my senior volleyball season that starts in 3 months! Thanks to all of you for your prayers!

While my trip with my dad to South Africa was over a month ago, I believe it deserves a blog update! I am confident that every step of my trip to South Africa was truly in the hands of God.

After a night with good friends in Kigali, I set out to the airport for my Kigali-Johannesburg flight. However, upon arrival at the airport, I was informed (along with 2 other patient passengers) that we had bought tickets to a flight that no longer existed because of damage to the airplane, inconveniently inflicted two weeks earlier. Of course, I had bought my ticket 10 days before, making this the airline's problem. The point man for RwandAir informed the three of us that they would have to re-route us via Nairobi, Kenya, and then to Johannesburg, but that there was no space on the flight to Kenya.

All of a sudden, one of the women waiting for the same flight busted out pictures on her camera of her and Rwanda’s president, Kagame, the day before at an interview. It turns out that this woman was the wife of a former minister in the Nelson Mandela government of South Africa and had been personally invited by President Kagame for an interview. She was a great woman, and throughout our travels together, I learned about her work and South Africa and also got to meet the current Finance Minister of South Africa who happened to be on the same flight.

So right after she flashed these pictures to the RwandAir representative, he promptly told her he would do what he could and wrote down her name on a piece of paper. Then he asked her my name. I have to be honest, I had been flirting with him a little bit. You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes! It worked didn’t it? After waiting 4 hours, we then got on the flight to Nairobi. This short flight to Nairobi presented me with another great opportunity: to speak with the Africa Great Lakes Regional director for my organization, Food for the Hungry. He said, “I think this is God telling you this is your opportunity to tell me about what’s going on in the Congo.” Another touch of God’s sovereignty.

Another 5 or so hours in Nairobi, I finally took off on the flight to Johannesburg, arriving around midnight with no baggage! Somehow I had a feeling this was going to happen. After a good hour of baggage drama, the customs officers left for the night, and my dad nearly had a heart attack. I finally emerged from the airport, and drove with my dad through the night until 4am, both of us staying awake only because of the chocolate my mom had packed for me! Shoutout: Thanks mom!

Over the next few days, my dad and I had great times of fellowship. We played with baby lions (who surprisingly bite quite hard) and went on safari in Pilannesburg park with an excellent guide, who by his unassuming pastor exterior might have never be known as the best safari guide in Joburg! Tim is the regional director for the WCG in southern Africa and was incredible in facilitating our first trip to South Africa! On our safari, I was literally 10 feet from a wild elephant; no fences, nothing. I was scared out of my mind. Apparently not too scared to take pictures! It really was exhilarating!

We were able to stay with Candida, an old friend, and her family on Saturday, which was a huge blessing to us. And on Sunday, we were able to visit two church communities in Pretoria and Johannesburg. I was so blessed to see and worship with these believers, and my dad gave me the opportunity to share my heart on my experiences in the DRC.

My flight back was an overnight stay in Nairobi, and I met an incredible Rwandan woman who was a believer and shared with me a miraculous story of healing in her family. Her 21-year-old daughter suffered from brain cancer for 5 years, and as a single mother, she worked hard to send her to India for the best treatment. After medical treatment failed, she fell down before Jesus and committed her daughter to Him. Since that time two years ago, Jesus has been healing her and she can now function almost fully on her own. She has ambitions to go to school and become a nurse! I was so encouraged when I saw the pictures and heard the story of redemption.

Since coming back to the DRC, I have reflected back over my time in South Africa and in transit to and from. I was truly able to rest in the beauty of God’s creation while I was in South Africa. It was a time, however short, of renewal and growth. Thanks to all those who made it so memorable. I can’t wait to go back!

Recovery

I apologize for the delayed update. Many of my faithful fans have encouraged me to write another one (this is for you Mom!). I do have a pretty legitimate excuse for the delay. I am getting over malaria and amoebas, and the jury is still out on the typhoid fever. It has been quite a week for me. However, at the end of this week I am reminded of several things.

1) Jesus first loved us.
2) Despite suffering, malnutrition, rising food prices, the plight of the poor and forgotten, broken hearts and bodies, and each and every anxiety we have, the promises of God will not fail.
3) I impact those around me; what an opportunity I have to love.

Since I haven't yet updated you on my trip to South Africa to visit my father, I definitely owe it a post. Be patient with me as I begin normal life again. And continue to pray for the Congo and its government officials. Most recently there have been promises in salary raises for teachers, and so when they go on strike, its the students who suffer. Also, price increases in food have caused many to go hungry and sadly, the poorest of the poor are the most affected here in the Congo. Join me in prayer as we battle the issues that I truly believe break God's heart also.

"I will never leave you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

"La vie est compliquée..."

Life is complicated. But God is here. The conclusion to nearly every conversation I have with believers. So much of my personal growth here over the past two and a half months has come in accepting the complexity of so much in this life, yet at the same time reveling in the simplicity of Christ. I am learning to live in the mystery.

The hardest thing for me is to find the balance between despair and hopelessness. By despair I mean the incapacitating emotional response that can flood one's reaction to suffering, and with hopelessness, I am referring to a hardening of the heart which concedes to the sin and pain in the world. I know that responding appropriately to this complicated life will continue to be a challenge. However, I am confident that my strength and endurance will come from the greatest power of all.

I promised an update on my trip to the bush. So here it is. The remainder of my time in Katanga was spent visiting bridges we had rehabilitated, meeting with beneficiaries, and hanging around on Lake Tanganyika. Near the end of my trip, I received an opportunity to visit Goma, the capital of North Kivu and the most recent fighting. The surrounding areas (more or less the bush) are the center of the fighting between the five main rebel groups in the Congo. I honestly didn't think I would get to see Goma, so I jumped at the chance to visit.

The first day we, our country director, regional programs manager, and I (the intern) arrived in Goma, we visited potential sites for FHI. First we checked out a road (which you can hardly call a road) that needs to be rehabilitated in order to reach the IDPs (Internally Displaced People) that are currently unreachable by vehicle and unable to receive aid. I believe we received approval for this road rehabilitation (or road construction in this case) and already have a car on our way there! This will be our first time as FH Congo to work in North Kivu!

We also evaluated an IDP camp for a Water/Sanitation project. Upon finding the latrines overflowing, our WAT/SAN specialist, Augustin, proved the incredible need in the IDP camps. Before this trip I didn't fully comprehend the complexity found in the frustration and jealousy of the villages in which IDPs pour into. Despite the fact that the IDPs flee their homes in fear and with nothing, the village members see that they themselves are poor. Therefore, they cannot comprehend why food and benefits are pouring only into these camps, which crowd and pollute their villages. This envy leads to hatred and elitism and more unnecessary suffering. The picture above was taken after our country director asked who had lost a family member during the war. The effects of war are clearly far-reaching and without bias.

Our final day in Goma was spent meeting with UN and USAID figures as well as attending security seminars. Aya, a woman I definitely respect, is the Head of Office for the United Nations World Food Programme in North Kivu. She has been working in Eastern Congo for six years, and before that she was with the United Nations in other conflict zones such as Liberia and Sierra Leone. We were invited to her office to hear about her fifteen years of experience in the relief realm as well as learn what more could be done in relief and development in North Kivu. Aya shared with us a traumatic experience in which she was running for her life. One day as she accompanied a WFP truck to a feeding center outside of Goma, she turned a corner and saw rebels commit two murders, simply for shoes and bicycles. Entering unknowingly into these circumstances, Aya found herself running into the village to hide under a bed in a home and escape the death threats of the rebels following her, “Mzungu, we’re going to kill you, Mzungu, we’re going to burn you.” Despite the fact that the issues around Goma are huge and often impersonal, the problems in North Kivu became personal for me through her experience and even more so the voices of the displaced.

During our short visit at the IDP camp in Minova, I met a young boy names Fidèle, which means faithful. We didn't get to talk too long, but I was given insight into this little boy's thoughts. From his perspective, the white cars that kept showing up and doing nothing were a waste. He was referring to the white cars carrying the white people making evaluations and doing nothing. Yet in his innocence, he was able to capture my biggest question. How does relief and development work be tangible and practical, yet at the same moment bring a spiritual transformation that is only possible through the power of Christ? How do you quantify a spiritual change? How do I have a healthy balance in my contribution to Christ's work: being His hands and feet while at the same time delivering His truth with my mouth? Of course, both are needed. But in the field, it's easier said than done to combine the two.

There is power in the promises of God.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.' Isaiah 30:21

Back in action.

Back in Bukavu.

First things first. I apologize profusely for those of you who have labored to post comments on my blog, but the default settings did not permit. I finally got a clue and set it up. Comment away (anonymous users and everyone!). No pressure...

Secondly, I just wanted to say that. I have a million stories to share, but be patient. I need to sleep first. This picture of me and Becky (regional Food for the Hungry staff) at the volcano in Goma is a bit of a teaser!

Lastly, please continue to pray for Congo. My heart is heavy with grief and I am finding that sometimes my effectiveness is thwarted by discouragement. Yet in the midst of it all, I pray that I remain confident in Him and continue to place my hope in Him.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in GOD, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my GOD.
Psalms 42:11

The war...

…with coffee addiction can find me even in the deepest part of the bush. I’m honestly so desperate that I will drink hot water, powdered milk, and sugar to quench my coffee thirst. At our field site, we had a little bottle of Nescafe instant coffee. Ok it’s no French press but it was delicious! However, it ran out yesterday, even after I tried to take the smallest scoops for my daily coffee.

Simple pleasures in the bush…
1) warm milk and sugar
2) cold bucket shower after a day of sweating
3) “paved” roads that don’t kill your back
4) bridges: seriously, there are 1 million rivers here, and canoes + motos are not a good combination.
5) plantains with lots and lots of vegetable oil
6) face wash…I give myself a nice refreshing wash of the face at least 4 times a day.
7) Being called “Muzungu” – I can’t help but smile when the k ids yell it as I’m driving by – and it’s probably the most predictable thing I have.
8) the Bible. I never realized how blessed I am to have a Bible, much less many different sizes and versions; the biggest request here is I just want a Bible, just one.

The beauty of the Congo...
How much do I love the meandering river!!!

If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. -Colossians 3:1-2